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WASHINGTON — Despite a pending increase in Bangladesh’s minimum wage, apparel companies are keeping their production in the country for the moment. But disruptions caused by strikes and worker unrest could change the equation quickly.
In late July, the Bangladesh government moved to increase the country’s minimum wage following months of widespread, violent protests by workers and their unions. The government said the minimum wage will increase to 3,000 taka a month, or $43 at current exchange rates, effective Nov. 1. The move nearly doubled the previous minimum wage of 1,662 taka ($24), but fell short of the 5,000 taka ($72) called for by workers.
Protests didn’t relent much after the government’s announcement, as workers continued to demand the higher wage and push for the increase to take effect immediately, as opposed to the delayed implementation date set by Bangladesh’s labor minister.
Apparel executives view labor unrest as one of the costs of doing business in Bangladesh, but typically in the past it came in the form of general strikes fomented by political conflicts. This summer’s strikes focused on labor concerns and were particularly vexing to the textile and apparel industry. There were reports that at least one major apparel factory was destroyed by fire, and several other warehouses and factories were also targeted. Hundreds of demonstrators were injured and there were a handful of deaths. Many factories were forced to temporarily close.
Munir Mashooqullah, president of Synergies Worldwide, which manufactures apparel in Bangladesh, said the minimum wage increases will benefit the least skilled apparel factory workers, about 30 percent of the industry’s workforce.
“Business was interrupted,” Mashooqullah said, adding the impact would have been greater if the strikes had continued.
The volatility of costs in China helped insulate Bangladesh from some of the impact of the strikes. If production in China was as constant as it was in previous years, Bangladesh might have lost some orders, Mashooqullah said. Instead, order levels stayed the same or increased during the period of unrest.
Apparel exports from Bangladesh totaled $12.5 billion for the 12 months through June, claiming an 80 percent share of the country’s exports, according to government statistics. Apparel imports to the U.S. from Bangladesh for the year ended in June rose 0.2 percent to 1.46 billion square meter equivalents, or $3.5 billion, according to data from the Commerce Department’s Office of Textiles & Apparel.
The volume of apparel and textiles shipped to the U.S. from Bangladesh increased during the first three months of the year from 119 million SME in January to 183 million SME in March. As the labor unrest grew, import volumes slowed. Bangladesh shipped 178 million SME of textiles and apparel in April and 156 million SME in May. The volume of apparel rebounded a little in June, rising to 162 million SME.
An estimated 50,000 workers have participated in demonstrations. There are more than 3 million apparel workers in Bangladesh employed in 5,000 factories.
Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association, said that future increases in the workers’ wages are dependent on the cooperation of buyers and their willingness to pay higher prices. “Western outsourcers offer the world’s lowest rates for manufacturing in Bangladesh, leaving the Bangladeshi garment workers the world’s poorest,” Murshedy said.
Some major buyers in Bangladesh already pay more than the minimum wage, and others have indicated a willingness to accept higher prices to help increase workers’ wages, according to industry sources in Bangladesh.
Labor rights organizations have called on major international clothing companies manufacturing in Bangladesh to put pressure on the government there or to voluntarily increase workers’ wages and have called for the release of local labor leaders who were jailed during the strikes. The groups charge the government has repressed the workers who toil for less than subsistence wages. Large unions like the AFL-CIO and the British Trades Union Confederation have also come out publicly on the side of the workers.
Getting accurate figures about wages for apparel workers can be difficult because data are often outdated, said Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee, but it is clear Bangladesh has the lowest wages in the world. The 1,662 taka that workers earned before the minimum wage changes is equivalent to 11.5 cents an hour based on a 48-hour work week, Kernaghan said. By comparison, Vietnamese workers earn 36 to 52 cents an hour after recent changes, Sri Lankan workers earn 45 cents an hour after a wage hike in May and Mexican workers earn at least 50 cents an hour, Kernaghan said, based on his interviews with workers and government information.
Apparel companies said they already pay higher than the old minimum wage in Bangladesh. A spokeswoman for Gildan Apparel, which manufactures in Bangladesh, said most of its employees already earn more than the minimum wage and will continue to do so following the increase.
“The major companies have been very supportive of the increases in Bangladesh and have expressed their support,” said Julia Hughes, president of the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles & Apparel. “People were more concerned about the strikes and the disruptions in the supply chain than they were concerned about the [minimum wage] increase.”
Apparel companies also have much deeper concerns about problems plaguing production in other parts of the world, she said.
@beyonce chose a custom gown by @falgunishanepeacockindia for mother @mstinalawson 's second annual Wearable Art Gala last night. The gown, which took 10 days to make, was inspired by Nubian warrior queen Amanishakheto. Reporting by @hernameislex . #wwdeye 👑 🐝#beyonce
After dressing @justintimberlake for his Super Bowl halftime performance last month, @stellamccartney has designed the star’s "Man of the Woods" tour wardrobe. Timberlake will be wearing a mix of pieces from McCartney’s fall men's collection as well as custom designs and items from his own closet. #wwdfashion
@carmeloanthony is upping his fashion game once again, introducing a hat collection with @goorinbros. Called Fresh Greens by Melo x Goorin, the line consists of five unisex models, all of which are made in America from 100 percent wool. Each hat is lined with Anthony’s signature and the inscription “Knowledge of self, wisdom and understanding.” You can purchase the collection line at Goorin’s website as well as three off its stores in San Francisco, New York City and Las Vegas #wwdaccessories
“I am of tradition, but that doesn’t mean I have an old outlook on life,” Hubert de Givenchy told WWD in an interview in 1978. The legendary designer, who died last week at the age of 91, achieved wide success soon after launching his own couture boutique in the early ’50s, but he refused to pine for that time. For the first time since its original publication, read our interview with Givenchy on his awe for Audrey Hepburn and looking forward. Link in bio. #wwdarchives #fbf (📷: Pierre Schermann)
About last night: @alexachung and @supergausa toasted the launch of their capsule collection. “It’s the shape that I love, so rather than amend the last and make the sole crazy or do anything wild, we just did really subtle additions that I think make it look really luxe-y,” said Chung. #wwdfashion (📷: Marc Patrick)
Exclusive: @off____white’s @virgilabloh is launching an exclusive eyewear capsule collection @sunglasshut. The unisex collection, which is made up of three styles, first made its debut on the brand’s fall runway show in Paris. Get all the details on WWD.com – link in bio. #wwdnews #wwdfashion


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The denim industry trade show is currently being held in Milan in a hybrid format, both in-person and online, with the exhibitors’ collections and the event’s scheduled conferences available in digital format.
French Connection, the provocative UK fashion brand known for its "FCUK" branding, said on Monday it has agreed to sell itself for 29 million pounds, after years of losses only made worse during the coronavirus pandemic.
The problem with deconstruction, a huge movement in fashion, is that while it looks great on runways, it tends to frighten consumers on a clothes rack. Not at Rokh, which staged a great collection Thursday in Paris.
Dior went into full court press in the first 48 hours of Paris Fashion Week – unveiling its new Cheval Blanc spa, feting its Dior Home and Kids creator Cordelia de Castellane, and unveiling a Miss Dior floral pop-up.
Paris’ big debut this season was Charles de Vilmorin at Rochas, the current enfant terrible of French fashion. He made his Wednesday debut with a striking fashion statement, each ensemble radically juxtaposed.
Finland’s Marimekko said on Wednesday that it has upgraded its profit guidance for the full year as pandemic uncertainties reduce, although they haven't gone away and supply chain disruption could still cause problems.
London Fashion Week’s final day of major shows on Monday was the latest tour around the capital, from outdoor Hyde Park art centre to East End church with stops in Mayfair, from gentleman’s club to concept restaurant.

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In a bizarre case of robbery, a man from Noida, UP was robbed of Rs 6.8 lakh, even though he didn’t have a smartphone. Without any OTP or UPI app, how can robbers conduct this fraud? Was it SIM-swapping at work here?
In yet another innovation related to ATM and cash withdrawal, a tech company has introduced a new concept of withdrawing cash: UPI. This whole concept is based on UPI 2.0, which enables QR code based transactions.
Reliance now wants a greater pie of the UPI payments market in India, and disrupt this niche. As per fresh reports coming in, Jio Money will have UPI payments option very soon, which can surely hit the market of Phone, Paytm and Google Pay,…
Visa was established in 1958; Mastercard in 1966 and American Express in 1850. Ever since the concept of debit and credit cards came into existence in India (somewhere between 1986-87), these three cashless payment processing companies had…
Digital payment platform UPI, which has been conceptualized and created in India is right now unstoppable. National Payments Corporation of India or NPCI, the creator of UPI has shared numbers for the month of October, the growth rate is…
While Paytm, India’s biggest mobile app has claimed 100 crore monthly sessions, and mind boggling 290 billion transactions a month, UPI too has claimed a big victory with 30 crore monthly transactions.
After reckoning the Indian smartphone market, Xiaomi is now all set to enter different segments of the Indian market. Last year the company gave out a brief on its upcoming plans in India, and Xiaomi Payments Bank is a part of it.
Paytm Mall has informed us that they are aiming for Rs 70,000 crore business by March, 2019. And, they have claimed to process Rs 24,500 crore worth of annualized gross sales by the end of June, 2018.
RBI governor Urjit Patel, State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Rajnish Kumar and Nandan Nilekani, the non-executive chairman of Infosys were present during the launch.
GST Council has finally approved the long-pending demand for incentives on cashless payments of GST, for the customers. However, at the same time, Govt has withdrawn 66% discount on cashless payments for buying petrol and diesel.


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Uber apologises to Londoners, admits 'we got things wrong'
The new chief executive of American taxi-hailing app company Uber today apologised for "mistakes" made by the firm and vowed to fight the city's decision to not renew its licence to operate in the British capital.
Dara Khosrowshahi made the apology in an open letter addressed to Londoners today, days after Uber had been deemed not "fit and proper" to operate in London by Transport for London's (TfL) last week.
"While Uber has revolutionised the way people move in cities around the world, it's equally true that we've got things wrong along the way," he wrote.
"On behalf of everyone at Uber globally, I apologise for the mistakes we've made."
"We won't be perfect, but we will listen to you; we will look to be long-term partners with the cities we serve; and we will run our business with humility, integrity and passion".
Khosrowshahi's letter seems to mark a decisive shift in Uber's strategy and an attempt to present a more conciliatory approach.
"We will appeal (against) the decision on behalf of millions of Londoners, but we do so with the knowledge that we must also change," the letter adds.
Earlier today, London Mayor Sadiq Khan had accused Uber of adopting an agressing stance and putting "unfair pressure" on TfL.
Khan, who is also chairman of TfL, had said: "What you can't do is have a situation where unfair pressure is brought on a quasi-judicial body, where there are officials working incredibly hard.
"I appreciate Uber has an army of PR experts, I appreciate Uber has an army of lawyers they've also made aggressive threats about taking us to court." Uber's licence to ride in London runs out on September 30 but the company can continue to operate as it appeals against TfL's decision not to renew the licence, a process that is likely to take months.
A petition calling on the London mayor to reverse the ban on Uber has now gathered more than 750,000 signatures.
(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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The Cloud Gaming
And Phil Spencer, vice president of the Xbox department, proclaims it loud and clear: in this little game, Microsoft does not play in the same court as Nintendo and Sony. Despite all the respect he expresses in an interview with these two companies, Phil Spencer thinks that the video game world is now evolving towards Cloud gaming, an area in which his rivals have not not yet invested enough. And that its real competitors are now Amazon and Google.
What if Microsoft was right?
In an interview with Protocol, Phil Spencer explains that Microsoft no longer considers Sony and Nintendo as its main rivals. Also according to Mr. Xbox from Microsoft, none of these Japanese companies has its own high-end cloud infrastructure, like that offered by Microsoft’s Azure.
For Microsoft, the argument wich makes the hype today is being able to play in the same way on a console, a desktop computer and a mobile. A technology available under xCloud and made possible thanks to Azure.
Phil Spencer does not close the door on his (former?) Competitors, however. Phil Spencer is willing to cooperate with Nintendo and Sony on projects that allow users to play against each other, regardless of the platform they use. and he states : “I don’t want to be in a fight over format wars with those guys while Amazon and Google are focusing on how to get gaming to 7 billion people around the world. Ultimately, that’s the goal.”


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Novel Move: James Patterson to Give Indies $1 Million
In a striking part of his campaign to promote reading, books and education, author James Patterson will give $1 million during the next year to independent bookstores. Yesterday on CBS This Morning, he said that his only requirements are that the store is "viable" and that it has a children's section. He gave one example of what might merit a grant: a store that has two people "who haven't had a bonus in seven years." To sign up for announcements, go to Patterson's website.
The first public mention of the program was brief and near the end of a Wall Street Journal article at the beginning of the month. The article noted that earlier this year, the author had taken ads out across the country asking, "Who will save our books?" Patterson called the reaction positive, but lamented that "nothing changed."
Patterson has a history of giving money to help reading, teaching and education, including $1.5 million in scholarships this year to students seeking to become teachers and an essay competition for high school seniors to win money for college book purchases that has given out $170,000 in three years. He also gives books to schools and book stipends to students.
Currently Patterson is doing a promotion with independent booksellers for his new book, Treasure Hunters, written with Chris Grabenstein and illustrated by Juliana Neufeld (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers). He will reimburse indies who hold parties for the book between now and November 15 (required proof: a picture of the party), and he will visit two of the participating stores. For more information and a digital event kit, booksellers should contact their HBG sales rep. The kit, also available on the Treasure Hunters site, includes a poster to promote Treasure Hunters events, info on the offer and trading cards featuring the Kidd characters.


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The present generation is threatened by the upcoming ecological imbalance. No doubt, we have been pushing sustainability to the back seat for all these years. Therefore, the world is lining forward to the verge of annihilation. Thus, the apparel industry is taking various measures with some useful sustainability trends by developing ecofriendly fashion.
Being one of the major polluters, global apparel and textile industry is taking measures slowly but surely.
The global apparel and textile industry is rapidly growing. In 2011 the production growth was 4.78%. While last three consecutive years, the industrial growth was 5.91% and sales value was 1.4 billion dollars. If this growth is maintained properly, by 2020, the value will cross a staggering $1.65 Billion. (Source: MarketLine)
The more we buy, the more waste is produced.
A recent report showed that 4% of world's total waste is produced by the textile and apparel industry. Moreover, the total textile and apparel waste accounts for 92 million tons which is even more toxic than e-waste. (source)
Only 1% textile and apparel waste is recycled into new garment which is really shocking. (source)
Among all those waste, a little amount goes for disposal, particularly for energy generation. And more than 57% apparel and textile waste ends up in landfill. (source)
Is there a viable solution? Sustainability!
Environmental movement and sustainable fashion initiatives are helping people make decisions. As a result, more than half of the consumers plan to use sustainable clothing.
What trends should be adopted in order to save our green world?
There are numerous fashion trends that we can choose from. Presently, manufactures have been developing alternatives for existing toxic textile and apparel materials like polyester. To help this initiative grow faster, we also have to take responsibility along with all those brands working towards sustainable fashion.
the more we buy, the more waste is produced it's about time we think about it and stop stuffing our wardrobes. In contribution to the sustainability challenge, we must streamline our wardrobes and make do with less. There is nothing to be embarrassed about in having less clothes. If people like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg can wear the same t-shirt everywhere, why can't we?
Smart shoppers have shifted to recycled fabrics and this is mostly because people are becoming more conscious about the environment. Recycling and upcycling are in fact the latest trends for the apparel and textile industry. In fact, this trend is expected to rise exponentially in coming years.
We ought to put some effort in making the world green again, hence it is important to know every bit of our fashion. Getting started is easy, ask yourself
How is it made?
Take measures in dressing sustainable! Since recycling is a very effective process, we must support fashion made out of recycled materials. It's time to change and reduce plastic waste, a number of fashion brands are manufacturing clothing from recycled waste materials.
It is easy to understand that sustainable brands will thrive more compared to big fast fashion brands in a future that is bound to face rising issues in sustainability. According to Global Fashion Agenda, more than 50% consumers will move with sustainable brands. Manufacturers will have to adopt sustainable and ethical ways in production or fall behind as years go by.
Without taking steps in manufacturing sustainable fashion, apparel manufacturers will be ignored by consumers. Brands adopting sustainable and ethical fashion manufacturing ways are actually increasing their consumers loyalty. Hence, think about sustainable products along with transparent and clear branding.
In conclusion, sustainability has become a vital topic for fashion brands, manufacturers and consumers. Because of the aggressive industrial growth, the global fashion industry is shifting towards sustainable manufacturing and waste management. Fashion trends are radically changing and both manufacturers and consumers need to think wisely and plan ahead.


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The Season Five of one of Ghana’s most educative Television shows, Biz Trends, would be premiered today on GHone Television(TV).
Dubbed “Season of Creativity”, the new edition would focus more on businesses in the creative industry including, pencil arts, Kente weaving, ceramics and basketry among others.
Speaking at the launch of Biz Trends season five in Accra on Thursday, the Executive Director of the TV Show, Ms Gifty Enyonam Manye indicated that Biz Trends generally, sought to put the spot light on businesses in Ghana especially the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and also educate viewers on the challenges, opportunities and successes that comes with entrepreneurship.
She said the programme, since its inception had stayed dynamic and would continue to remain relevant and give viewers exactly what they expect.
She expressed gratitude to her fans and sponsors for their support and assured them of quality and entertaining content always.
“I am very grateful to all my viewers and sponsors, may God reward you for your efforts, Biz Trends is here to stay,” she said.
Ms Manye assured that her show, would continue to trend and stay impactful for the benefit of Ghana and Africa at large.
Biz Trends TV show, has won several awards including best SME Support Platform Of The Year 2017 and has also featured in the Presidential Business Support Programme.
At its first anniversary celebration last year, 60 Chief Executive Officers and SMEs were honoured for their contribution towards promoting entrepreneurship in the country.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU


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With an ever-expanding app store, Linnworks aims to offer every technology that you might need – and if not they want to integrate it for you. In this session, Linnworks gives an overview of the app store and reveals some of its latest app announcements.
What Linnworks total commerce is
An overview of the Linnworks app store
New app partners
Maximize the potential of the Linnworks commerce ecosystem.
With more than 100 apps within its app store Linnworks aims to offer every technology that merchants might need, explained Alexandra Nolan, Partner Program Manager and Lynn Torbert, Partner Director North America at Linnworks.
The pair explained that the total commerce platform of Linnworks exists as an ecosystem that allows merchants to connect into multiple apps and integrations, but with the ability to log into one backend. The company has four partner tiers – commercial, onboarding, customization and app partners but in this session focussed on the app partners.
Nolan explained that the company works with all its partners to build seamless integrations that plug into the interface. “We have a joint proposition so that we can bring into that ecosystem the very best technology for you to integrate with,” she said.
Although the app store already has over 100 apps Torbert and Nolan urged merchants to get in touch if there were apps they would like to see, as integrations might already be underway and, if not, then open APIs could allow quick integration.
Nolan explained that the abundance of apps was because there are so many technologies available that merchants might find useful. “We work with 4,000 brands globally and no two are the same so we want to integrate with all of the technology you could need,” she said.
The pair announced a number of new or imminent partnerships, including marketplace integration provider Mirakl, global marketplaces such as Allegro, FNAC and Wayfair, and shipping integrations with EasyPost, EasyShip and ShipBob.


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The company is opening a plant in Peterborough this winter
Coca Cola has purchased 100 per cent of the dairy processor fairlife’s shares, but is allowing it to operate as a stand-alone company.
The original majority shares of fairlife were owned by American Select Milk Producers, with Coca Cola having 42.5 per cent of the shares. As of December 3, Coca Cola has 100 per cent of the shares, with the amount paid to buy the rest remaining undisclosed.
fairlife’s headquarters are in Chicago, with existing plants in Coopersville, Michigan and Waco, Texas. Plants are under construction in Goodyear, Arizona and Peterborough, Ontario, both slated to begin processing in 2020.
Its signature product is ultrafiltered milk, with higher protein and calcium, combined with less fat than regular milk. The shelf life is also 100 days as compared to 14 days for regular milk.
A January 6 announcement by fairlife CEO Tim Doleman, in the Beverage Daily, brought up the terrible calf abuse video from Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana – who are co owners of Select Milk Producers – last summer, as the underlying reason for the business change.
“The disturbing abuse was not in keeping with our values, our culture or who we are as a company,” said Doleman. “To say we were deeply saddened and disappointed is an understatement. But we knew we had to use this unfortunate incident to push for better.”
There is now a fairlife Animal Welfare Advisory Council, he said, with, “more detailed animal welfare policies and protocols for any farms supplying fairlife.”
“We continue to require that every farm in our supply chain is subject to regular third party unannounced audits with clear action plans for learning and improvement after every audit,” said Doleman.
On December 23rd Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) had a conference call with the heads of their milk committees about upcoming third part audits being required, in addition to the already existing milk inspector system in place.
The Glengarry Milk Committee resigned in protest over the arbitrary decision.
A December 24th Ontario Farmer article by Suzanne Atkinson quoted DFO Chair Murray Sherk as saying: “no processor individually has influenced this change in direction.”
Milk committees are promised a closed session at the DFO annual meeting in January, to be explained the reason(s) for the implementation of third party audits.


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SINGAPORE - Can milk be made in a laboratory instead of from cows or humans - and can it taste just as good?
Local biotech start-up TurtleTree Labs certainly thinks so, and it impressed the judges of the Entrepreneurship World Cup 2020 enough to walk away with the top cash prize of US$500,000 (S$678,000).
The challenge to uncover the next generation of entrepreneurs saw 175,000 participants from 200 countries compete virtually for the award, which was hosted by the Riyadh-based Misk Global Forum on Oct 19.
The forum is a flagship event of a non-profit foundation set up by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The winners were selected by an audience vote and panel of international judges.
TurtleTree Labs co-founder Lin Fengru called the win a "wonderful surprise".
"Winning this competition highlights the importance of sustainable food production, and the support from the community around such technologies," she said.
"We're proud to represent Singapore on the world stage."
Founded last year by Ms Lin, 32, and Mr Max Rye, 40, TurtleTree Labs uses cell-based methods to make milk without the need for animals, while retaining the same composition and taste.
Fresh cells are extracted from the milk of mammals ranging from cow's milk to breast milk.
The cells are grown and exposed to a special formula that causes them to lactate. The end product, milk, is obtained through a filtration process.
Such cell-based foods, said Ms Lin, could be a solution to the issues of heavy land use, energy and water consumption that are associated with traditional dairy farming.
"The population of our planet is only going to grow, and we need to continue to innovate to provide better nutrition for everyone in a sustainable fashion."
Currently, the global population is growing by 80 million people each year. By the UN's projections, there will be two billion more mouths to feed by 2050.
This is the first time a Singapore start-up has won the top prize in the challenge.
TurtleTree Labs edged out two Canadian competitors which came in second and third, including one that uses bacteria to transform organic waste into usable materials and chemicals.
The company is on a roll, having been awarded $1 million in funding by the Temasek Foundation in July after winning this year's edition of The Liveability Challenge, which seeks solutions to some of the biggest problems faced by cities in Southeast Asia.
Earlier, it caught the eye of global investors such as Hong Kong's alternative protein specialist Green Monday Ventures and raised US$3.2 million in seed funding.
Ms Lin said the prize money will go towards its research and development activities, such as finding new ways to extract biologically active components in milk that have health benefits.
"It's good to see this emerging industry surrounding novel methods of food production being recognised," she said, adding that TurtleTree Labs has benefited from Government support from the Singapore Food Agency, Enterprise Singapore and A*Star.
"We look forward to continue working with them closely."


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Newly available in North America, Pio's innovative pay-per-pick implementation of world-leading AutoStore cube storage technology targets new market for automation.
Based on a pay-per-pick service model, Pio allows SMBs, such as retailers of apparel, sporting goods, crafts, and cosmetics, to deploy robotic automation for a relatively low investment – enabling more businesses to gain access to the world’s best automation technology.
“We established Pio to make our technology available to smaller businesses,” said Mats Hovland Vikse, CEO of AutoStore. “Only 15 percent of the world’s warehouses are automated, and fulfillment operations at smaller retailers are still largely manual. Pio levels the playing field so that enterprises of all sizes can take advantage of the space and cost efficiencies of automated storage and distribution systems.”
Retailers pay a fee per individual item picked; robots, ports, and software are owned and maintained by Pio. Users need only purchase product bins and the frames that the robots run on. A Pio facility is modular and scalable and runs on standard plug-and-play software that connects to the most common online retail and shipping platforms. In effect, Pio lets small and medium-sized business compete against much larger ones, with minimal capital expense, added labor, or need for additional floor space.
"Never before has the option for a fully automated storage and retrieval system been offered to the SMB segment – and certainly not with robotic technology that has been proven through multitudes of successful installations around the world for over 20 years," says Magne Hatteland, VP and Head of Pio. "With Pio, you can expand without having to move, enabling users to run their businesses closer to customers. We are already seeing success with Pio systems operating at several high-profile retailers in Europe. Now that the system is available in North America, we are ready to support fast-growing independent retailers here as well."
Pio and AutoStore will be at NRF 2023: Retail’s Big Show at the Javits Center in New York City from January 15-17. Pio will be exhibiting at Booth #952 and AutoStore at Booth #325.


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By Alex Thorne
We all probably have seen many examples of bad food photography, but some of the images captured by Harmon Leon at the San Francisco Chronicle top the list of worst food photography.
Check out this quick read here –>>
Obviously, food photography’s purpose is to make the restaurant’s food appetizing, however as you will see, these images backfire in a big way! Leon has posted several articles about food photography, starting with this story that focuses on restaurants in and around Market Street in San Francisco.
Here’s one of my favorite shots with the caption from the article included.
The restaurant Munch Haven's photo seems to be asking, "How about some pasta topped with whatever was scooped up after that horrific auto accident?"
And finally, check out the first picture on Leon’s second posting that begins with a photo of Sweet and Sour Pork. Now doesn’t this look delicious!
If you want to see food photography done right, check out Virginia’s own Stewart Photography’s food gallery. Now there’s something you would want to sink your teeth into.


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Toyota South Africa Motors has confirmed operations at its Prospecton plant in Durban have been “suspended” due strike action by the National Union of Metalworkers… Read more →
Which of the current Volkswagen R models would get your vote?
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Globally cosmetic companies have been phasing out animal testing, but in China authorities sometimes still require those tests. Lawyer Mark Schaub looks at the dilemmas for international cosmetics, who face different requirements, and potential damage to their brand, at the China Law Insight.
Category Archives: Speaker News
Wall Street is going to be the next casualty in the trade war after it moved from tariffs to tech, says Beijing-based analyst Andy Mok in the New York Times. Corporate…
Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok visits one of Alibaba’s Hema supermarkets, based on AI and data-collection, paving the way for new retail. She even finds a fish with QR-code so you can track where it is coming from.
Major industries like travel, retail, automotive, telecom and others see their traditional business models changing very fast. At Shanghai-based SOSV managing director William Bao Bean helps startups to make money in new ways, based on data, and capture fast emerging markets, he tells at the Phocuswright Europe conference in Amsterdam last week. Companies should not cling to melting margins, but identify where money can be made, he argues.
Ctrip is one of China’s successful travel companies, but for most startups, it is a tough market to crack, said William Bao Bean, managing director of the Shanghai-based China Accelerator, last week at a travel conference in Amsterdam, according to Phocuswire.com. Bean did identify some potential success stories, though.
China’s leadership is still trying to figure out how to deal with US president Donald Trump. Making sense out of Trump has been harder than expected, says political analyst Victor Shih, author of Factions and Finance in China. in an extensive interview in the New Yorker.
China’s Belt&Road Initiative (BRI) has been praised and criticized extensively, as the massive investment program moves on. The main problem of BRI is that it fell short of the Chinese characteristics that other foreign investment initiatives characterized, says investment analyst Harry Broadman in a column in the Financial Times.
China’s philanthropists spend most of their money on education, followed by poverty alleviation, says the 2019 Hurun Philanthropist List, according to the Hurun chief researcher Rupert Hoogewerf in a press release. Automotive executive of China’s largest auto components company Wanxiang Group tops the list with US$720 million.
Tradition and an unequal political system hamper women in their development in China, says author Zhang Lijia at the Addison Gazette. “Women are being left behind in terms of political participation and the salary gap between men and women is becoming wider.”
Sequoia, Tencent and IDG are the top investors in Chinese unicorns, says last weeks Hurun report on 202 unicorns, start-ups valued at more than US$1 billion, in China as of the first quarter of 2019. Shanghai’s new tech board would be an attractive listing option for Chinese unicorns, said Rupert Hoogewerf, founder and chief researcher of Hurun at the South China Morning Post.


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A new problem is coming to light with Apple’s new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Users report compatibility issues with USB 2.0 devices.
Detail of the Lightning ports on a 2019 15-inch MacBook Pro laptop computer, captured July 23, 2019 … [+] (Photo by Phil Barker / Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Future publication via Getty Images
Thanks to new Mac laptops that only support USB-C, older devices don’t have to connect to 2020 machines they have to go through a hub. This is where the problem arises. Juli Clover reports:
“MacBook owners have encountered connectivity issues with all kinds of devices that require a USB-A connection, including mice, keyboards and other accessories. Multiple hubs have been tested, which suggests the problem isn’t caused by a particular brand of hub, and it also appears that most complaints are limited to USB 2.0 accessories rather than USB 3.0 and 3.1 accessories. “
- According to this source Apple’s MacBook Pro has a serious problem
- Check the more updates related to Apple Tips and Apple news now.
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Businesses stepped up -remember that
December 6, 2023
Wrangell has proven its boundless resilience, compassion and generosity the past two weeks. Individuals have donated, volunteered, hauled, organized and pitched in seemingly 24 hours a day since the deadly landslide tested the community’s faith and took over everyone’s emotions.
And it wasn’t only individuals helping out. Just about every business on the island donated services, goods or money. Whether food for first responders and volunteers, groceries for families, temporary housing for people displaced by the slide, taxi rides, airplane tickets and more, business owners did not ask...


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PS4Blog.net | January 24, 2022
Jackbox Party has been a staple of party games on PlayStation for two generations in a row. The fifth iteration has now been released, so learn more about it in our The Jackbox Party Pack 5 review!
Jackbox Games announced that it will be bringing The Jackbox Party Pack 4 to the PlayStation 4 on October 17. Come check out its trailer and some new info!


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Tiger Woods is back in action on the PGA Tour for this week’s Genesis Invitational, with a new look and a new business venture. The 15-time major champion recently ended his 27-year partnership with Nike, which is believed to have earned him at least $500 million. Now, Woods has unveiled his new apparel brand, Sun Day Red, which will operate under the TaylorMade umbrella. Sun Day Red will be based in San Clemente, California, separate from TaylorMade’s headquarters in Carlsbad.
Sun Day Red will focus on performance wear and luxury lifestyle fashion, producing golf essentials like hats, polos, gloves, shorts, and pants, as well as hoodies, T-shirts, and fleeces. The brand’s main logo is a drawing of a Tiger, replacing the iconic “TW” logo associated with Nike. Woods will begin wearing Sun Day Red during the Genesis Invitational, with the brand set to be available to the public starting May 1.
Despite his new clothing brand, Woods will continue to wear FootJoy shoes for the time being, but footwear is part of Sun Day Red’s long-term plans. While Woods previously had his own line of Nike-branded sports gear, it is unclear whether Sun Day Red will look to sign any professional golfers as clients in the future.


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Update: As of August 15, 2022, this MacBook Pro deal is still available via Amazon Prime, but only on the Space Gray models. The Silver M2 MacBook Pro laptops are low in stock, and the price has gone up to $1,235 — which is still cheaper than the price at the Apple store.
We’ve been hard at work collecting the best back-to-school laptop deals for SPY readers, and this weekend you can save $150 on the best laptop for college students. Among students heading back to campus this fall, the M2 MacBook Pro (2022) is sure to be the most in-demand laptop on campus. Previously, the M1 MacBook Air was the hot commodity, but now that the new generation of M2 chips has been released, this is the laptop to beat.
Head to Amazon to save $150 on the Price of the M2 MacBook Pro, a 13-inch laptop with Apple’s Retina display,
Why We’re Excited About this Deal: M2 MacBook Pro
How good is this deal?
Normally priced at $1,299, Amazon is offering a 12% discount that brings the price down to $1,149. Not only is this the lowest price we’ve been able to find anywhere, but it’s also $150 cheaper than the price currently listed at Apple’s own online store, where it’s listed for the full $1,299 price. Even the 2021 M1 MacBook Pro is more expensive.
Currently, Amazon is offering the lowest prices on almost every Apple product, including the 2021 iPad 9, which is selling for just $299 for a limited time, one of the best Apple deals of the back-to-school season.
So is there a catch?
Not really. The $1,149 price is for the base version of the MacBook Pro, with a 13.3-inch screen and 256 GB hard drive. For the vast majority of students, that’s more than enough computing power. In addition, the small size can also be a benefit since it makes this laptop easier to lug around campus. The 2022 MacBook Pro is just 0.61 inches thick and weighs just 3.0 pounds, and it’s currently the best small laptop in the world.
It’s rare to see a discount like this on a newly released product, but Amazon is aggressively dropping prices on back-to-school gadgets this August. Originally released on June 24, 2022, the newest MacBook Pro can be yours.


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Circle, a crypto finance company backed by banking giant Goldman-Sachs, today announced the launch of a new stablecoin USDC which relies on Circle’s blockchain consortium CENTRE, a project attempting to define standards and practices for stablecoins.
The stablecoin has been in the works at least since April, when it was teased at the Consensus 2018 conference.
USDC is among a number of stablecoins recently launched and approved, including the Gemini Coin and tokens from Paxos. Stablecoins are going through something of a moment, as the crypto industry attempts to bring price stability to the market, though the tokens are not without their detractors.
USDC is trying to distinguish itself from competitors with ‘wide ecosystem support,’ according to Circle’s blog, soon to be listed on DigiFinex, CoinEx, Poloniex, KuCoin, OKCoin, Coinplug and XDAEX exchanges, with a total of 30 crypto companies partnering with Circle and CENTRE on the effort.
Circle's CEO told Forbes that broad support is gained through USDC’s underlying open source ethos, and ‘because it's built on an open standard, anyone can implement it.’
USDC is immediately tradable on Circle Trade and on their Poloniex platform.


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No easy task for new RBI Guv
With the term of the incumbent RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan approaching its completion and the announcement of Urjit Patel as the next Governor, the dust has begun to settle. Past few months have seen an acrimonious relation between the RBI and the government over the trajectory of economic policy in India. At the heart of the matter lies the clash between the macroeconomic balance between economic growth and inflation. NDA-II came to power promising higher economic growth and job creation to usher in the proverbial “acche din”. Central to this plan is the revival of the manufacturing sector fueled by the domestic demand and also attempts to capture the export markets in the light of rising production costs in China.
And true to its promise, the new government has launched various schemes like Make in India, Start Up India, Stand Up India, Mudra Bank etc to give a flip to the manufacturing sector. It has also undertaken sweeping economic reforms to open up more sectors of the economy to the flow of foreign funds, making India one of the most open economies in the world today. It has been zealously pursuing infrastructure projects like Smart Cities, Dedicated Freight Corridors, revitalising the highways construction to lower the logistic costs in India. A major bottleneck for the manufacturing sector in India, it should be remembered, is the high logistic costs.
But all grand scheme may come to a naught if the interest rates in the economy do not come down. But the attempts to lower the interest rate has not found the desired favor with the RBI, which continues to focus on inflation as its main policy objective. It has resulted in a stand-off between the RBI and the government, which spilled over as the avoidable controversy over the issue of the second term to the Raghuram Rajan. But despite the missives of the government, RBI concerns are not far-fetched. Indian economy is still not out of the high inflation risk.
The latest data shows that the wholesale price inflation has risen to 3.55 percent in July from 1.62 percent in June, which is most rapid in the last 23 months. Worryingly, it is being led by the rising prices of both food and non-food articles. Not just this, the retail inflation has crossed the upper limit level of 6 percent set by the RBI in the July from under 5 percent in June. It has been driven by the rising food prices despite the above normal monsoon after the drought-like situation in the last two years.
Even though experts expect the food inflation to fall due to better monsoon, it shows that the inflationary pressures in the economy have not yet subsided. And therefore, any slip up in the monetary policy may cause an increase in the aggregate demand in the economy causing inflation to spiral up to politically unsustainable levels. Plus, there is always the uncertainty of the crude prices going up after a long period of favorable rate. The implementation of the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission may further exacerbate inflationary pressures in the economy. Thus, despite the appointment of the new RBI Governor, it doesn’t seem that the basic clash between the RBI and the government would be resolved anytime soon.
Therefore, the actions of the new Governor will be perhaps the most important decision made by the RBI in the coming months. The task of Urjit Patel is by no means easy. He will be under tremendous pressure by the government to ease the monetary policy stance and cut the interest rate to boost the rate of economic growth. But he will also be faced with inflationary pressures, especially food inflation. The pressure form the government will continue to increase as 2019 approaches.
But India’s growth story faces another lurking menace. It is the dangerously high levels of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) with the banks. It has not just made the banking system more fragile and prone to crisis, but has also severely limited the credit-growth necessary for economic growth. That a large portion of these NPAs come from the infrastructure sector does not auger well for the growth of the sector and may hamper the plans to boost industrial sector by providing better connectivity.
The plans for re-capitalisation of the public sector banks have been mooted but how far it would be successful will depend much on the synergy between the government and the new RBI Governor. But what is certain is that the grand plan of the NDA-II to revive the economic growth on the back of robust manufacturing sector growth is an uphill task, which will test all the skill and acumen of the government in the months to come. While the Chinese slowdown has opened up a brief window for India to replace China as the world’s factory, it is not certain yet whether that can actually happen.
(Dr.Sharad Ranjan is Associate Professor of Economics at Zakir Husain (Evening) College, University of Delhi. The views expressed are strictly personal.)


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Videoplaza teams with TubeMogul for programmatic marketplace
DetailsEditor | 18 March 2015
Ooyala subsidiary Videoplaza has announced a partnership with TubeMogul to create a premium programmatic marketplace for global brands and broadcasters.
The partnership will see TubeMogul's real-time online video advertising platform combined with Konnect, Videoplaza's sell-side programmatic solution. The result will be that brands, agencies and trading desks using TubeMogul video advertising software will have access to Videoplaza's international inventory comprised of premium video publishers, broadcasters and operators.
In addition to the combination of technology, the partners say that they are making a major shift in digital video advertising as flagship brands and agencies continue allocating advertising budgets online. Together, they say, they are building a secure, trusted and transparent programmatic marketplace for TubeMogul's customers to buy high-quality online TV inventory directly, or via private networks from Videoplaza's customers.
Explaining its move, Videoplaza said that research suggests that in 2015 programmatic digital video ad spend will more than triple and that the new combination will allow, customers to tap into what it calls 'immense' revenue potential with programmatic. "TubeMogul and Videoplaza are both leading the way for programmatic to become a reality in the new IP-delivered TV world," claimed Videoplaza vice president, programmatic Maria Flores. "TubeMogul has done a phenomenal job creating innovation in this space - their product suite and customer base are a testament to that - and we're thrilled to integrate our services to accelerate efforts to bring mighty TV budgets to all digital screens."
"We are thrilled to integrate Videoplaza into TubeMogul's software," added TubeMogul chief marketing officer Keith Eadie. "Videoplaza is one of the largest premium video ad management platforms in the EU. This integration allows TubeMogul to expand the number of localized, high-quality publishers available to our clients."


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Shares of ANGI Homeservices (ANGI) plummeted 47.3% in 2019, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, in stark contrast to the S&P 500's 31.5% total return (including dividends). The home-services marketplace leader's disappointing fiscal second-quarter update in early August, which caused shares to plunge more than 25% in a single day, was largely to blame for that harrowing decline.
ANGI's Q2 results didn't look bad at first glance -- revenue climbed 17% year over year to $343.9 million, and pro forma revenue (which excludes the divestment of Felix at the end of 2018) rose 20%. But that also translated to narrow earnings of $0.01 per share, down from $0.05 per share a year earlier. And analysts, on average, were looking for earnings of $0.02 per share on revenue closer to $351 million.
Even more concerning, ANGI lowered its full-year outlook to call for adjusted revenue growth in the range of 20% to 25% (down from 25% previously), and for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $200 million to $230 million (down from $280 million to $300 million before). According to ANGI management during the subsequent conference call, algorithmic changes at Google -- from which the company was acquiring around 40% of its customers at the time -- were partly to blame. These drove higher paid traffic to its sites and substantially increased marketing costs.
That said, ANGI offered a light at the end of the tunnel in November, soaring more than 19% in a single day after its better-than-expected third-quarter report. Adjusted Q3 revenue grew 22% to $357.4 million, translating to net earnings of $18 million, or $0.04 per share. Both figures were well above estimates for earnings of $0.02 per share on revenue of $355.6 million.
Within that total, ANGI said its core marketplace segment saw growth of 27%, spurred by a 19% increase in service requests, to 7.6 million.
ANGI also most recently reiterated its full-year revenue outlook, while narrowing its target for adjusted EBITDA to a range from $200 million to $205 million. This time, however, management said they were working to invest more aggressively in the company's budding Fixed Price platform -- a significant long-term opportunity that appears to have appeased investors' concerns over near-term growth.
It should be interesting, then, to see what ANGI Homeservices has to say about its revenue growth and margin profile when the company releases fourth-quarter 2019 results early next month. If it shows progress improving on those ends, last year's steep plunge might just make ANGI a top stock in the making for 2020.


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Wireless recharging has become increasingly popular over the past few years due to its convenience — just drop your phone on a pad and pick it up later — but wired charging is faster, and some ultra-high-speed options have emerged this month to power next-generation phones. Today, Qualcomm is adding its latest innovations to the mix under the name Quick Charge 5, a wired platform that promises to fully recharge upcoming phones in 15 minutes or go from zero to 50% in only five minutes.
Wi-Fi 6 will upgrade your workhorse wireless network
5G is great, but it’s a big Wi-Fi upgrade that’ll likely help you out sooner with faster speeds and longer range at home, school and work.
We get it. 5G is a big deal. But honestly, you likely use Wi-Fi networks as much or more with your phone and PC, so tune out the 5G noise for a moment and appreciate what’s coming with Wi-Fi 6.
“While 5G is getting much of the limelight, Wi-Fi 6 will have a bigger impact in our connected lives — and sooner,” said FeibusTech analyst Mike Feibus.
Wi-Fi 6, the consumer-friendly new name for the tech standard actually called 802.11ax, won’t just boost data-transfer speeds — though it’ll do that, by a factor of three or so. It’ll also reach into corners of our house farther away from network gear, better handle the crush of people at airports and stadiums, and sidestep interference from your neighbors’ noisy network. On your phone or laptop, it should save your battery life, too.
Mini has a prototype for an augmented reality system, developed in conjunction with Qualcomm, and the tech looks absolutely bizarre. Being behind the wheel will become almost like a video game when the driver put on the goggles that look like a cross between Google Glass and something a World War I aviator might wear. Continue reading… “Mini’s augmented vision glasses”


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AP Systems said that the whole order is worth $60.65 million and the equipment will be delivered starting in September 2017 until October 2018. AP Systems did not disclose the equipment list, but the company's main products are laser annealing equipment (used to produce LTPS substrates), laser list-off equipment and OLED encapsulation tools.
In June 2017 CSoT officially launched the construction of its new Wuhan AMOLED fab. CSoT's fab, which will cost a total of $5.08 billion, is expected to begin production in Q2 2019, with full mass production achieved by 2020. The fab's capacity will be 45,000 substrates per month, and it will be used to make small and medium-sized flexible and foldable OLEDs.


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IPSC to take part in Israeli Blood Diamond Awareness Event in London
This coming Saturday 20th August, activists from the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and Palestine solidarity groups in Britain will be on the streets in Hatton Garden, London to inform shoppers and jewellers about the trade in Israeli blood diamonds. The event commences at 11.30 am.
Seán Clinton, a member of the IPSC who will be part of the event stated: “Contrary to assurances from jewellery industry representatives, the diamond market is still heavily contaminated with diamonds that are funding gross human rights violations including war crimes and crimes against humanity. While there has been much comment in recent months about the export of blood-tainted diamonds from Zimbabwe, the export of blood-tainted diamonds from Israel continues unchallenged.”
Mr Clinton continued: “Israel is the world’s leading diamond exporter in value terms. Diamonds are Israel’s most important export commodity, accounting for over 30% of Israel’s exports. Revenue from the Israeli diamond industry generates about $1 billion in funding for the Israeli military each year. When someone buys a diamond processed in Israel some of their money ends up funding war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.”
Mr. Clinton further said “the action in London will focus attention on the gaping hole in the Kimberley Process regulations that facilitates the trade in cut & polished blood diamonds and the fact that Jewellers facilitate the trade in Israeli blood diamonds and have introduced a bogus ‘system of warranties’ in an attempt to convince shoppers that they are ‘conflict free’.”
He noted that: “We believe it is critical to inform the public that diamonds are not a girls best friend when they are used to finance Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and it’s regime of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, the theft of land and water resources and continued human rights abuses of the Palestinian people.”
In conclusion Mr. Clinton asked the public “not to buy diamonds unless they are hallmarked to identify where they were cut and polished and not to be fooled by claims that diamonds are ‘ethically sourced’ or ‘conflict free’ as they may still be from Israel and funding gross human rights violations.” He further called on jewellers “to end the trade in Israeli blood diamonds and to support the call for the introduction of a hallmarking system for diamonds so consumers have information about the provenance of diamonds and the right to choose diamonds processed in countries that respect human rights and international law.”


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GDP growth picked up to 7 per cent in 2014 Q4, contributing to growth rate of 6 per cent for the year —the fastest rate since 2011. The reported notes that Vietnam still performs below its potential, due to slow-moving structural reforms, especially in the areas of banking sector and State Owned Enterprises (SOEs).
Inflation is projected to be moderate in 2015 on account of low global energy and food prices, and gradual recovery in domestic private demand.
Strong exports and robust remittances will keep the current account in surplus, albeit of diminishing amount as stronger domestic economic activity stokes import growth. The fiscal deficit would decline to under 4 per cent of GDP by 2017, underscoring the need for fiscal consolidation over the medium term together with a credible plan to strengthen the finances of SOEs and state-owned banking sector to preserve public debt sustainability.
Poverty is expected to continue to decline. Extreme poverty ($1.25 a day) is expected to decline from 2.9 per cent in 2012 to less than 1 per cent in 2017 while the percentage of population living with below $2 a day would fall from 12.1 per cent in 2012 to 5.8 per cent in 2017.
The World Bank report says the risks to the medium-term outlook remain mostly on the downside. Weak global prices of rice and other agricultural products may adversely affect rural household income and consumption and widen the urban-rural gap. Falling oil prices could also put additional pressure on the budget revenues. Domestic private investment is still weighed down by the subdued business confidence, the report notes.
On the external front, sluggish and uncertain global growth could dampen Vietnam’s exports and FDI inflows. On the upside, emerging trade agreements provide opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to reach out to much bigger and richer markets.
Domestic reforms, including medium-term fiscal consolidation, further improvements in the business climate and more credible and visible SOE and banking sector reforms will send important signals to domestic and international investors and lay the groundwork for stronger future growth, says the report. (SH)
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Cummins profit misses Street as sales drop in all units
(Reuters) - Cummins Inc (CMI.N) posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday and slashed its 2012 revenue estimate, citing slipping demand for its engines and engine parts in nearly all parts of the globe.
For the third quarter, the company posted net income of $352 million, or $1.86 per share, compared with $452 million, or $2.35 per share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, the company earned $1.78 per share.
By that measure, analysts had expected earnings of $1.83 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue fell 11 percent to $4.1 billion. Analysts had expected revenue of $4.5 billion.
Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins lowered its 2012 revenue estimate to $17 billion from $18 billion. Analysts have expected revenue of $17.1 billion for the year.
Shares of the company rose 0.2 percent to $94 in premarket trading. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
- Boeing, SpaceX win contracts to build 'space taxis' for NASA
- iPhone comes out of a 'bygone era', reviewers hail bigger handset
- Polls show Scottish opponents of independence with slight lead ahead of vote |
- Wildfire rips through 150 homes in Northern California
- Fed could hint on rate-hike plans as it prepares for policy turn


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We know almost every single detail about the Chevy Volt, but are still missing one major piece of the puzzle: the price! Luckily, Jon Lauckner – GM’s chief of Global Program Development – was able to shed some light on the matter.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the commencement of Volt battery production, Lauckner said that the price of the Volt could be significantly lower than the estimated $40,000, adding “We have until this summer to figure that out.”
On top of that, rumors are rampant that GM’s board is thinking about pushing up the release date of the Volt, which is currently set to launch sometime at the end of 2010 in select US markets. This means that EV could be available at the end of the summer or in early fall of 2010. Such an early launch, however, would most likely mean that it would be available only to fleets or on a lease-only basis.
It seems that GM is looking at the competition (such as the Nissan Leaf EV) and doing its best to launch the Volt at an earlier time and at a lower price range. Nevertheless, we expect high dealer markups for the bow-tie EV whenever it’s available.
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
Check out the latest forum discussions at the GM Authority forums!


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A debacle over face masks ordered from China which failed quality control tests, has highlighted the need for more reliable ways of getting protective equipment to Finland’s frontline medical staff.
The multi-million euro deal was for 230,000 high grade surgical masks that could be worn in hospitals. Those masks arrived in Helsinki on Tuesday along with two million standard grade paper face masks.
They were ordered by the Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency NESA, and as first reported by Suomen Kuvalehti magazine, the order was placed through an intermediary in Estonia Tiina Jylhä, a beautician who runs a plastic surgery business.
Jylhä says she should have been paid millions of euros to make the face mask delivery happen. The money went instead to her partner for this deal Onni Sarmaste, a man who runs a payday loan company. Jylhä says Sarmaste shouldn’t have got all the money, just a commission.
NESA admits that they were in a rush to get the deal done, and didn’t do all the proper background checks that they should have.
Now the Minister for Employment Tuula Haatainen (SDP), who oversees NESA, has ordered a swift investigation into why it spent millions of euros on face masks from China that were found to be faulty, and cannot be used in hospitals.
The CEO of NESA Tomi Lounema told News Now Finland this week that in these sort of deals “you have to pay first, then you get what you get.” He said the procurement system in China is “totally not normal” and that “the risks are very high when you operate in this market.”
Finland starts domestic face mask production
The debacle unfolded even as one Finnish company signed a deal with NESA to start producing millions of face masks domestically.
Lifa Air already has production facilities in China where it is currently manufacturing the KN95 respirator masks – those correspond to the European level of FFP2 protection which has more than 95% filtration efficiency and are cleared for use in hospitals.
When production begins in Finland the company will also make the FFP2 masks as well as a lower grade FFP3 mask which can be used in care homes, for example.
Production is supposed to start in the spring, and the company says “as soon as possible” after equipment to make the masks is brought from China.


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Spotify launches a special new application “Spotify Kids”. This is a new streaming platform as Netflix has a section for children, YouTube has a “Kids” version, and even smartphones and communications applications already propose spaces dedicated to children and managed by parents. Now Spotify announced the launch of an application that allows children three years and older to listen to their own music, both online and offline, as well as explore playlists and Recommendations chosen by experts. The music selection is also filtered so that the songs do not have explicit content.
Spotify kids for Premium Family subscribers
“Spotify is committed to providing billions of fans with the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by music and stories, and we are proud that this commitment now includes the next generation of audio listeners,” said Alex Norström, Director of Spotify Premium Business. “We are excited to expand the Spotify Premium Family experience with an application dedicated only to our younger fans. Spotify Kids is a personalized world full of sound, shape and color, where our young listeners can start a lifelong love for music and stories. “
Spotify Kids, essentially, is a set of carefully selected playlists in all categories. The application includes categories such as Movies and TV, main successes, activities (bedtime, homework, playtime, etc.), genres, seasonal, Spotify originals, artists/groups and stories.
The publishers, says Spotify, have a history of some of the best-known brands in the children’s entertainment business, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Discovery Kids, Universal Pictures, Public Service (Sweden) and BookBeat (a family-oriented audio and children ).
Read more about: How to download YouTube videos to your Android device
Over time, Spotify will expand the application with more content, including stories, audiobooks and podcasts, and create improved settings and controls for parents that will allow them to further customize the Kids application.
App Looks Like
The new application also does not look anything like the main application: it is colorful and bright, and has an aspect that varies according to the age group of children. For example, younger children see works of art that are softer and character-based, while older children have a more detailed experience.
“Spotify is committed to providing billions of fans with the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by music and stories, and we are proud that this commitment now includes the next generation of audio listeners,” said Alex Norström, Commercial Director Spotify Premium. “We are excited to expand the Spotify Premium Family experience with an application dedicated only to our younger fans. Spotify Kids is a personalized world full of sound, shape and color, where our young listeners can start a lifelong love for music and stories. ”
The company added 5 million new subscribers in the quarter to reach 113 million premium paid subscribers, 26 million more than the previous year quarter.
Premium Spotify plan
A Spotify Premium plan costs a little more than a normal Premium account ($ 14.99 versus $ 9.99 in the United States, respectively). But many parents often just share their account with the whole family, often ruining their recommendations and special features, such as Spotify Wrapped, along the way. An application for children is a good incentive to convince customers to update, as it not only solves those problems, but also gives children a safer experience within the larger musical ecosystem.
There is another incentive for Spotify to separate listening from children in their own space: targeted advertising. While the Premium experience generally had no advertising, a new product allows artists to buy a full-screen ad about their new music version and show it to interested users, based on listening history, even if they are Premium subscribers.
This is not the first move that Spotify made in recent months to better serve families. This summer, the company launched a dedicated broadcast center in partnership with Disney, where families could find favorite songs, playlists and soundtracks. He also added parental controls to Premium Family accounts shortly after, and released a special “family mix” with songs that everyone can agree on.
Spotify Kids is initially available in beta, while Spotify works to refine the experience based on the additional knowledge gained from the use, as well as the parents’ comments. Requires a Premium Family plan to use.
The application is immediately available in Ireland on iOS and Android, but it is being implemented in all markets, according to the company.


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About Events – Caucasian Cheese 2015 Festival
The “Caucasian Cheese 2015” festival was held this weekend in Tbilisi’s Rike Park. The festival was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Georgian Guild of Cheese Producers and aimed to promote and Georgian cheese making traditions.
Over 60 types of cheese were displayed at the festival, including cheese made by producers from neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Photos courtesy of Tbilisi City Hall.


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Spotify Free is the new radio. Now what?
Spotify is facing relentless pressure to shut down its free access tier, based on industry concerns over low royalty payments. But Spotify is now distributing data showing that its free tier actually rivals the reach of most traditional radio stations. In major markets like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, Spotify Free is a top five station in terms of overall listeners and reach.
The US-based study, conducted by research firm TNS and commissioned by Spotify, was shared with DMN today but conducted in late December. It involved 1,943 respondents ages 15-64 years. The 18-49 demographic was a particular focus, with 1,217 participants involved.
All of the participants were given questions about their listening habits, particularly as they related to Spotify Free.
Shocking results? Well, the biggest finding was that Spotify now commands very impressive brand recognition, and that is translating into heavy listenership. That group of listeners, in turn, displays far better listening habits when it comes to how long they listen, when they listen, and how engaged they remain.
The first major difference, according to the Spotify report, is that Spotify Free listeners are far more engaged than traditional radio listeners. They aren’t just flicking on a station during their morning commute or blasting the radio for a quick shower or dishwashing session. Instead, across several major cities, engagement rivaled some of the largest stations (see below). In some cases, Spotify Free attracts the greatest levels of engagement across all traditional stations in a geographical area.
There’s also a big age differential. In particular, Spotify Free is grabbing far more younger listeners, with Boomers and older generations more wedded to traditional radio. That’s hugely important to advertisers, who are not only trying to sell to Millennials, they are attempting to establish longer-term relationship with them. That’s a trump card Spotify will continue to use, especially when courting mega-advertisers that aren’t reaching everyone on traditional radio anymore.
There’s also a huge difference in the time people listen. Traditional radio gets its heaviest listening during the morning commute, a period dominated by talk shows and news. There’s also another bump during evening drive time, but once the car is parked, so is the radio.
Spotify has very little of that, and its listening levels are far more balanced throughout the day. That includes nighttime, as shown by these breakdowns.
The next questions get really, really interesting. After all, if Spotify Free is basically a giant radio station, how does that change the way that labels, artists, and advertisers view this platform? The answer is complicated: for starters, Spotify Free is widely viewed as a drag on Spotify Premium, and Spotify has faced serious pressure to shut it down. That’s started to bleed into public comments by executives like Sony Entertainment head Michael Lynton, who most recently projected that the industry would completely shut down free access after a satisfactory number of paying subscribers is reached.
Others feel that free access is unfair to platforms that are trying to get music fans to pay. Just recently, Apple Music executive Trent Reznor blasted YouTube for exploiting artists while boosting its monstrous audience, though free-access platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud were also part of the complaint. To its credit, Apple Music walks the walk, with a paid-only platform that now has 15 million takers.


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What you need to know
- Samsung's Good Lock app has been spotted in more countries.
- The customization tool is apparently now available in European and Asian countries.
- The feature is expected to expand to more regions in the coming months.
Samsung offers tons of customization options with its Good Lock suite. It comprises multiple modules to tweak any Galaxy phone to your liking, including the lock screen, notification panel, wallpapers, app icons, keyboard, and more. While the suite so far has been limited to fewer regions, Samsung has reportedly begun expanding the app to more global markets.
As noted by SamMobile, multiple Galaxy phone users across various countries have reportedly noticed the new suite on their devices. These regions supposedly include Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Malaysia, and the Netherlands, although it's possible there could be more regions where the Good Lock suite could has been released.
Good Lock, available through Galaxy Store, can be downloaded on Galaxy devices for users across the regions, as mentioned above. The suite will be available for Samsung devices running Android 8.0 and above, including the One UI 5 operating systems.
The SamMobile report further hints at Samsung releasing the Good Lock suite to more countries in the near future. Finally, Galaxy device owners could enjoy the benefits of the suite's customization as it is no longer limited to fewer regions.
Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, Samsung rolled out a Good Lock update with version 22.214.171.124 that introduced the "Galaxy to Share" feature. It allows Galaxy users to share their Good Lock preferences with other Galaxy devices. These included a set of modules like Keys Cafe, Theme Park, LockStar, NavStar, MultiStar, QuickStar, ClockFace, Home Up, One Hand Operation+, and Sound Assistant.
Similarly, last month, Samsung launched Dropship, which allows Galaxy device owners to share files through Good Lock. It allows them to share files easily with a unique link or a QR code with a specific validity that keeps the files active to download for a certain period. Further, the Dropship also allows sharing files across Android devices next to Galaxy devices.
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Vishnu works as a freelance News Writer for Android Central. For the past four years, he's been writing about consumer technology, primarily involving smartphones, laptops, and every other gizmo connected to the Internet. When he is away from keyboard, you can see him going on a long drive or chilling on a couch binge-watching some crime series.


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Felber secures deal to acquire 50 percent of IDE shares
Israel Chemicals Limited (ICL) has sold its 50 per cent stake in desalination company IDE Technologies for $177.7 million in cash.
The buyers are a limited partnership where the general partner is a company controlled by IDE chief executive Avshalom Felber, and limited partners are Clal Insurance, and the Israeli teachers’ union educational funds’ group.
The deal is anticipated to close in 2017, subject to regulatory clearance.
Fresh talks over the sale of the 50 per cent were revealed in April 2017, after talks in 2016 aimed at securing a sale price for the entire company of between $700 million and $1 billion failed.


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I am back in my real office after over a year of recording from home – it is weird but good to be back. After Google dropping featured snippets significantly in the Google Search results a few weeks ago, they returned this week, out of the blue and with no explanation from Google. Also, starting this morning, I am seeing early signs of a Google search algorithm update. Google’s John Mueller said that after a page is indexed, the words in the URL become a super light weight signal. Google Search Console sent out confusing emails about SharedArrayBuffers this week, are you confused. Can browser extensions mess with your core web vital scores? Yes, but it won’t matter. Google blocked an insane number of ads in 2020, I’ll take you through some of the stats. Google Ads launched a new summary view user interface for smaller advertisers. Microsoft Advertising launched static headlines for dynamic search ads. Microsoft Bing replaced the magnifying glass search button with a button that says Search. Google Maps has a new ad spot for a business overlay listing. Google My Business launched a new way to manage reviews, and check the status of review removal requests. Google Maps can now show service area businesses street views, which is a very big security and privacy concern. There was a Twitter poll that shows only 45% of SEOs and marketers still do a bit of affiliate marketing. Oh and if you want to help sponsor those vlogs, go to patreon.com/barryschwartz. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.
SPONSOR: This week’s video recap is sponsored by Loud Interactive, a Chicago-based SEO firm led by Brent D. Payne.
Make sure to subscribe to our video feed or subscribe directly on iTunes to be notified of these updates and download the video in the background. Here is the YouTube version of the feed:
For the original iTunes version, click here.
Search Topics of Discussion:
Please do subscribe on YouTube or subscribe via iTunes or on your favorite RSS reader. Don’t forget to comment below with the right answer and good luck!


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City launches new donation portal to support COVID-19 relief efforts
Published Wednesday, April 15, 2020 6:41PM EDT
More than $1.5 million worth of goods and services have been donated to help support Toronto’s pandemic relief efforts, and Mayor John Tory says more is on the way.
The city has launched an online portal to help streamline donations of cash, personal protective equipment, and other goods that residents are offering up amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m very heartened by the fact that since the very early days of this pandemic, residents and businesses have stepped forward to help,” Tory said at a news conference held on Wednesday afternoon. “We are all in this together.”
“We know people want to help the city’s efforts in COVID-19, it is the Toronto way.”
Tory said that numerous businesses across Toronto have already given items such as cookware, linens, personal care products and masks.
The portal, called “DonateTO” allows participants to submit their donations using online forms and helps streamline items to the correct sectors. Items on the list include personal protective equipment such as surgical and N95 masks, isolation gowns, and gloves, as well as goods, services and accommodations such as hotel rooms.
Tory also urged people to donate to local food banks, as data has shown more people are taking advantage of their services.
The announcement comes one day after Tory put his support behind an online platform that allows community members to donate to small businesses impacted by closures as a result of COVID-19.
He said the money collected will help businesses with things like rent and payroll.


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Pac Bell cancels credit card blitz
1997-06-27 04:00:00 PDT CALIFORNIA -- Pacific Bell has suddenly decided to stop sending credit cards by the hundreds of thousands to Californians who never requested them.
The U-turn came amid customer complaints - and accusations that the program was illegal from the beginning.
"We pledged that we will never do anything like this again," spokeswoman Mary Hancock said Thursday, after an Examiner article disclosed the program and concerns about it.
"We will never be mailing cards like this to consumers."
Some 300,000 holders of the Pacific Bell Worldwide Calling Card have been receiving a four-page, illustrated letter this week explaining their plastic would be replaced with Pacific Bell Savings Gold MasterCards with varying limits of several thousand dollars.
The customers were asked to take no action to convert their cards. The letter lists a toll-free number for declining the card, and includes a "P.S." saying the recipient would receive the credit card "if we don't hear from you by July 8, 1997."
But Pac Bell said Thursday the 300,000 credit cards already were in the mail. The cards still can be activated and used. Hancock emphasized, however, that the only step required if a customer doesn't want the card is to cut it up into little pieces.
Pac Bell reversed course because "for some reason customers are confused and unhappy," Hancock said.
"Yesterday, when you (an Examiner reporter) talked to me, we realized there was confusion and that continued today.
"We've been inundated today. We've gotten some customer complaints. We're getting some media calls. Although we felt the program was a good one, we just can't continue to do it."
Hancock said the company had noticed "confusion about the fact that this is not a live card." That is, a customer has to activate the card by providing personal information such as a Social Security number.
Without activation, the card couldn't be used by a thief to make fraudulent purchases and couldn't create a problem in the intended recipient's credit record, said Pac Bell and its marketing partner and issuing bank, Household Bank of Salinas.
Pac Bell's letter buried the explanation of this protection, Hancock said.
"I would never say that we made a mistake around this, but we have taken a look at the confusion around this," she added.
"Protecting our brand image and our good name is the most important thing for us. It's more important than any revenue we could get from a program like this."
A significant player<
Pac Bell has gone from holding a decades-old monopoly over phone service to being a significant player in the wireless phone and Internet service businesses, and an experimental provider of wireless competition to cable TV franchisees. The company is even facing the first glimmers of competition in local phone service.
But competitive considerations didn't color Pac Bell's response to the controversy, Hancock said.
More was at stake than corporate image, credit card and legislative experts told The Examiner.
A 1971 California consumer-protection law, passed in response to mailings of unrequested credit cards, says:
"No credit card shall be issued except: (a) In response to an oral or written request or application therefor; or (b) As a renewal of, or substitution for, an accepted credit card . . ."
Household and Pac Bell contended that their campaign was lawful because the new credit cards are a substitution for the previous calling card - which they say is a kind of credit card.
But the same law also specifies that " "credit card' does not mean any of the following: (1) Any single credit device used to obtain telephone property, labor or services in any transaction under public utility tariffs."
Legal in California?<
That means calling cards aren't considered credit cards and the Pac Bell-Household program was illegal in California, some experts say.
"A credit card is different in that you can use it in different places," said a state legislative staff member who requested anonymity. "You can use it at the grocery store. You can use it at the gas station. A telephone card is not a credit card."
Senior attorney Gail Hillebrand of the West Coast office of Consumers Union, in San Francisco, said: "It appears it's a violation of law, and in any case it's bad public policy to send people credit cards they haven't asked for."
On Wednesday, a Household spokeswoman pointed to the precedent of a similar program by AT&T, with its calling cards and Universal Visa and MasterCard products, as evidence of the legitimacy of the Pac Bell program.
Thursday, an AT&T spokesman on the Universal card program, Mitch Montagna in Jacksonville, Fla., confirmed that the company had been taking the initiative to convert calling cards to credit cards nationally for two years.
He added, however, that AT&T didn't carry out the program in the Golden State.
Cautious lawyers took the position, Montagna said, that
"you can't upgrade a calling card to a credit card in California." <


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Fotocart tonight, launches its 3rd version of eCommerce Website to ensure smoother online shopping experience for its customers. This website is based on Woocommerce.
Fotocart is truly enthusiastic to adapt to the new technologies enhancing the online shopping experience for its valued customers.
Due to the effects of COVID 19 and subsequent lockdown taking place around the world as a pandemic has been declared, Fotocart launched the new and improved website without any inauguration ceremony. Fotocart, now, has added new modules benefitting customers at sign up; any new customer procuring each new products from fotocart.com.bd will be able to accrue Tk100 wallet for a limited period of time, mentions SM Abdul Awal, director operations.
Additionally, both new user and repeat customer who buys product/s from this website, will be able to redeem points that can be used as currency at check-out process. Fotocart look forward to receive technical feedback on products, and overall experience, from its customers. Each user posting a feedback successfully will receive an amount of wallet recharge.
Fotocart, will continue to do its best in ensuring customer satisfaction, and all customer feedback will be taken seriously for improvement and mitigation, adds Mr Parvez Alam, Managing Director, Fotocart.
Mr. Javed Akhter, Chairman, Fotocart, urges users to sign up and adds, eCommerce industry in Bangladesh is booming. Our participation in this emerging market would be remarkable he said.
He also added, “I trust my team is working round the clock to ensure Fotocart as the best online provider of IT & Gadgets for our valued customers. We are very pleased to launch the new website.”
Team fotocart expects a tremendous response from the online customers as it emerges with new website. Mr Ahsanul Kabir, team leader of Fotocart Web Team is happy and hopeful to see implementation of this new site.
Desk News/ Fotocart


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The Mortal Kombat X mobile game is out now, free on iOS with Android coming soon. You can check out its launch trailer below.
Warner Bros. announced Mortal Kombat X mobile back in March as a "hybrid of fighting, card collecting, multiplayer team combat and more."
Earlier this month, NetherRealm revealed more info about how the Mortal Kombat X mobile app ties into the main PC and console game.
Through cross-platform linking via WB Play, players can unlock Mortal Kombat X skins in the mobile game and transfer them to the full game, including Johnny Cage's Ninja Mime skin and Jax's Farmer Jax skin.
Chloi Rad is a Staff Writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @_chloi.


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The home of Ceylon tea, Sri Lanka, is facing its worst political and economic crises since its independence in 1948. Due to the scarcity of foreign currency reserve, the country fell in default in May, and the President changed from Gotabaya Rajapaksa to Ranil Wickremesinghe in July. Sri Lanka is seeking assistance and aid from the international community, and the negotiation on a bailout program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is likely to resume this month after a debt sustainability report under the new administration is submitted.
The crisis hit people’s day-to-day living substantially. The citizens are suffering from soaring inflation said to be more than 60 percent, along with a shortage of food, fuel and medicine. Rolling power cuts have been imposed since February, in which the supply of electricity is suspended by changing areas and the duration of time that was extended to 13 hours a day in the worst period. Long queues at gas stations, interrupting businesses, transport, schools, etc, have been experienced nationwide.
The tea industry is not an exception — its tea production in the first half of the year showed an 18 percent decrease, from 161.7 metric tonnes (mt) in 2021 to 132.9 mt in 2022, per the Sri Lanka Tea Board.
Under this challenging situation, Niraj De Mel was appointed as the new chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) on 22 June for the second time (his first term was from June 2004 to November 2005). Having a professional career in tea for 45 years, De Mel is anticipated to lead the industry in a right direction.
Explaining the main cause of the current crop loss, De Mel said, “The decline of crop started from November 2021, caused by the sudden ban of importing chemical fertilizers in April 2021 triggered by the decision of the then president to go organic for all agriculture. However, tea producers did not have readily available organic fertilizers, neither allowed the already imported fertilizers to be distributed.”
The ban was lifted on 30 November 2021, but it was soon followed by the Russia’s invasion in Ukraine since February 2022, which led the price hike of agricultural fertilizers globally. Furthermore, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka devalued the Sri Lanka rupee (SLR) on 7 March 2022 up to 15 percent as one of several steps to obtain an IMF’s loan program, resulted in further price rise internally.
“The cost of fertilizer was SLR 30 per kilogram in the first quarter in 2021, which surged 20 holds to SLR 600 per kilo now,” said Lalith Munasinghe, executive director of Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC. However, the SLTB introduced a low interest loan scheme in June to enable tea estates and small holders to purchase fertilizers.
Anil Cooke, managing director of Asia Siyaka Commodities PLC, further elaborated, noting, “The soft loan is granted to estates and private factories, the latter distribute fertilizers to registered small tea growers who will pay back out of leaf sales to the factories. Then, the repayment from estates and factories is through tea auction with brokers recovering from auction proceeds.”
The depreciation of the SLR was reflected in the weekly tea auction price, which has risen about 30 percent in SLR-basis since mid-March. “Auction prices responded to the depreciation and initially compensated for rising costs. However, the value in US dollar-basis has declined due to the high cost of freight and other market factors,” Cooke commented.
Despite the current turmoil, the Colombo tea auction has been conducted without any postponements or cancellations, apart from the massive anti-government demonstrations or disturbances those often escalated to violence. The crucial shift of the auction system from the traditional outcry to an online platform in April 2020, urged by the outbreak of Covid-19 infections, has played a significant role in continuing production, sales and export of Ceylon tea.
De Mel said that the shortage of fuel is affecting all stakeholders in the value chain across the board. “Thankfully, tea exporters are getting together to pay with their proceeds and ensuring at least some quantities flow down to the tea manufacturers so they can carry out green leaf collections, transport made tea, and so brokers may distribute samples.”
The large estate sector has been operating within its normal practices. “Tea factories in large estates have conventionally installed their own generators. Therefore, we could carry on tea processing either with the government power or our own electricity,” Munasinghe commented. “Furthermore, tea factories are on a preferential list to get fuel, so we are producing tea without interruption and maintaining the quality.”
The private sector, which contributes about 70 percent of the total tea production, is also managing under this challenging circumstances. “At the moment, the private tea factories are facing severe shortage in fuel supply to run the factories, green leaf collection, made tea transportation, etc. Some factories have limited their production because of this,” said Chaminda Jayawardana, owner of Lumbini Tea Valley, a private tea factory. “Fortunately, Lumbini has a generator as well as our own fuel tank, which we acquired from the profit of direct exports. This is an advantage for us, and we keep running tea processing in full capacity.” He added that there is a strong demand for quality teas and tea export is benefitted by the depreciated exchange rate of SLR, although the cost of production is rising rapidly.
The tea industry in Sri Lanka, with its 155 years of history, has been one of the most essential foreign currency earners for the country. It is obvious and strongly expected that Ceylon tea will be a key performer during the reconstruction of the nation.


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What had begun as a trickle of electric scooter recalls in India is turning into a deluge.
Ola has become the latest Indian electric scooter manufacturer to recall its electric scooters. The scooters belonged to the same batch as the Ola S1 Pro which had caught fire in Pune last month. Prior to Ola’s recall, Okinawa had recalled 3,000 electric scooters last week, while Pure EV had recalled 2,000 scooters on Thursday.
“Our internal investigation into the March 26 vehicle fire incident in Pune is ongoing and the preliminary assessment reveals that the thermal incident was likely an isolated one,” Ola said in a statement. “As a pre-emptive measure we will be conducting a detailed diagnostics and health check of the scooters in that specific batch and therefore are issuing a voluntary recall of 1,441 vehicles,” it added.
On 26th March, an Ola S1 Pro which had been parked in Pune had suddenly begun emitting smoke. The scooter had then spontaneously caught fire, and had been reduced to a charred heap in minutes. Videos of the incident had gone viral on social media, and a few days later, the Indian government had instituted a fact-finding committee to determine the cause of fires in electric scooters. Last week, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had himself gotten involved, and said that electric scooter companies would be heavily penalized if they were proven to have been negligent, and had urged them to recall scooters that posed a risk to consumers.
Ola now seems to have gone ahead and recalled 1,441 vehicles. But Ola isn’t the only electric scooter that has had trouble with thermal incidents. In September last year, two scooters from Pure EV had caught fire, followed by a scooter from Okinawa in October. In December, another scooter from Manesar-based HCD India had caught fire while being charged, leading to the death of a 60 year old man. Last week, a batch of 20 electric two-wheelers made by Jitendra EV erupted in flames while being transported and were destroyed. This week, two scooters, one from Pure EV and another from Boom Corbett 14, had seen their batteries explode, and one person had lost their lives in both incidents.
These are worrying signs for India’s fledgling electric vehicle industry, and are possibly what’s prompted the slew of recalls across manufacturers. Reports of fires, causalities and recalls will likely deter potential buyers, and could delay EV adoption as a whole. This could have knock-on effects for the entire ecosystem — not having enough users, for instance, could cause firms to delay their hypercharging network plans, which in turn could make EVs less viable for existing customers. The initial reports of fires in electric scooters had caused alarm, but now with casualties, recalls, and government warnings, India’s electric revolution is in real risk of going up in smoke.